Cross-Party Endorsements Stack Up Before Midterms
Candidates in several states are publicizing support from the opposing party as new polls show some races tightening.
By Tessa Cooper ·
Candidates from both parties are advertising support from the other side's officials and voters in the closing days of the midterm campaign. Democrats in Alaska, Kansas and Texas have collected Republican endorsements, while Republican officials say their own nominees will draw cross-party ballots. Political scientist Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project said such defections involve a small share of voters and rarely move results on their own. "We're not talking about a large group of Republicans crossing party lines to vote for Democrats, or a large group of Democrats possibly crossing party lines to vote for Republicans," Blank said.
The endorsements have accumulated steadily since September. Former Kansas Govs. Bill Graves and Mike Hayden said in September and October that they support Democrat Adam Hamilton in the state's U.S. Senate race. In Alaska, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday. In Texas, former GOP state senator Kel Seliger said this week he would vote for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Talarico campaign says more than two dozen former Republican officials have endorsed him.
Seliger served with both candidates and explained his choice this way: "James Talarico is not some wild-eyed socialist and and he may believe in a lot of things that Democratic Party believes in that I don't. But I think he's going to be honest. And I think he's going to be frank and direct. I think that the things that he does are going to be what is best for Texas. Not what's best for Elon Musk."
Republican officials describe the same pattern from their side. Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, pointed to Michigan's contest between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, and to the Texas Senate race, as places where voters may cross lines. She also cited "Democrats for Mike Rogers," a coalition formed to back the Republican candidate.
Blank said a close race changes the arithmetic. "Now, if the elections close, this could really matter," he said. Recent polling shows several midterm contests tightening, with some statistically tied. Voters will decide those races on the first Tuesday in November.
The Texas Senate ballot will list Talarico against Paxton. Michigan's ballot will show Rogers against El-Sayed.
